Huller and scarifier



.1. L. OWENS HULLER AND SCARIFIER Filed Aug. 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ja/m L. Owe/2s Patented May 3, 1927;

UNITE mm L. owns, or mrmvnaroms, mmnasom.

HULLER AND SCARIFIER. 1

an extremely simple and highly efficient hullerandscarifier and, generally stated, consists of the novel devices combinations of devices and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed My invention provides and defined in theclaims.

The primary purpose of this machine is to remove from hard seeds, such as alfalfa seeds and clover seeds, more or less of. the outer seed coat, but the machine is also adapted for the removal of fuzz, beard, and thelike from other kinds ofseeds. i

The outer shell coatings of alfalfa and clover seedsare very hard and substantially Waterproof, and such, seeds, if planted in their natural condition, will not grow for months, even in wet soil, and in dry 3011 may not sprout for years. To condition such seeds forplanting and quick sproutmg, the glazed surface of the shell must be broken or scratched, so that moisture may enter the shell and cause the seed to germinate; and it is for this purpose particularly that my improved huller and scarificr has been designed. 7 I W In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the commercial form of the 1mproved machine,like characters indicate like parts throughoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawings; I

1 is a vertical section taken axially and longitudinally through the-improved machine; g 1

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the irregular. line 2 2 of F1g. 1; and

Fig... 3 isa view in elevation, parts broken away,look1ng at-the del very end of the machine,

All-of theparts of the machine are.

mounted directly or indirectly framework made up chiefl spaced trussed end frames 1 a hopper and a fixed drum,

presently to be described.

formed by upper plates of theend frames 1.

The boards 5 are rigidlyqsecured to and tie with some on a suitable of laterally tied together by.

The hopper, as shown,icomprises inclined side boards 5 and a sheet metalbottom 6, the ends of the hopper being,

depressed longitudinally Application filed August 26, 1925. Serial No. 52,543.

inclined discharge trough 7 that delivers into the upper end of the feed spout 8 rigidly secured to the adjacent frame 4. The lower end of the spout 8 is laterally bent and delivers into the scarifying drum. This scari'fyin'g drum is in itself of novel construction, and it comprises two heads t) and 10 and a flexible cylindrical casing 11, preferably of sheet metal. The heads 9 and 10 are rigidlysecured, one to each of the frames 4. The casing 11 is split longitudinally'at 11* and to its edges are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured clamping cleats 12 and 13. The cleat 12 is rigidly secured to the adjacent frame 4, andthe cleat 13 is loose but adapted to beclamped to the cleat 12by nut-equipped bolts 14;. Longitudinal cleats 15, preferably of wood, are secured to the exterior of the casing ll andvstifli'en the same longitudinally. The interior of the cylindrical casing 11 is lined with an abrasive substance, such as granite paper,

emery cloth, sand paper or the like, indicated by the numeral 16. The casing 11 overlaps and surroundsthe heads 9 and 10, and, preferably, the abrasive lining sheet 16 is the full length thereof, soythatit also laps and surrounds said heads. Preferably,

packing strips 17 of pliable material, such 'as felt, are secured directly to the peripheral surfaces of the two'heads19 and 10, so that,

when the casing is clampedv around the heads, tight joints will be formed betweenthe heads and the surrounding casing and the abrasive lining sheet will be firmly held in position. With this arrangement, as is .evident, the abrasive lining sheet may bereplaced from time to time as it becomes worn orctoo. smooth for effective work.

Extended axially through the casing and the heads 9 andlO is a horizontal shaft 18 journaledin bearings 19 on the frames 4 andyasshow'n, provided at one end; with a pulley 20, The machine illustrated is arranged to be powendriven from a small electric motor 21 mounted on top ofone of the frames 4 and poweris transmitted to the shaft 18 by a belt 22 that runs over the pulley 20 and overa pulle 23 on the rotor shaft isle provided with radially pro ects V shaft of the motor 21. Wit in the casing, the

ing arms 24 that carry long fan blades 25. These fan blades are slightly spiral, for an important purpose that will presently ap pear, and they are set to run quite a distance from the abrasive surface of the casing.

The=delivery end of thespout 8 is laterally bent and is extended through opening 26 in the head 9, so that it delivers into, the receiving end of the casing, and here it will be noted that the adjacent ends of the fan blades 25 are beveled so as to clear the said spout. The opening 26 is preferably covered with a wire screen 27. At its lower portion, the head 10 is provided with a discharge passage, into which is set the horizontally bent upper end of a discharge 7 spout 28. Also, as shown, the head 10 is provided above the spout 28 with an auxiliary air discharge passage 29 shown as covered by a wire screen '30 and arranged to beopened and closedmore or less by a sliding gate 31 arranged to slide in a flanged U-Shapedkeeper 32 applied to thehead 10.

It will be remembered that the discharge 'end oi the trough 7 delivers into the upper end of the spout 8, and here it should be further noted that this discharge may be regulatedbya vertically adjustable gate 33 shown as clamped to the upper portion-of the'adjacent frame/4 by a nut-equipped bolt 34 that 'worksthrough a vertical slot 35 in said gate.

Forthe purpose ofillustration, it will be assumed that alfalfa seed is tobetreated by the improved machine. This seed will be placed in the hopper 56. The fan 'will then be started into action and the gate 38 opened so-as to cause the proper delivery of "the seeds into the "receiving end of the non-rotary drum, through the spout '8. The seed thus delivered into the drum will, by theaction of the fan, be caused to take up aspiral whirling motion substantially as indicated by the arrows marked on Fig. 1. This travel of the seed isnot due so much to the direct impaot'actionof'the fan blades as it is t'o-the spiral blast of air set up within the casing by the said fan. Obviously, the spiralform of the blades causes the whirling blast of air to travel spirally toward the delivery end of the casing. Under this spirally acting blast, the seed will be uniformly blown and rolled against the abrasive surface and all the while willbe caused .to progress or travel spirallyand longitudinally toward the discharge end. of the casing, where they will fiua-llybe discharged through the spout 28. In practice, the easing-will be of'such length and the fan will be operatedat such speed that the seeds will be properly scarified and conditioned for planting in one'travel through the machine. For proper planting, 'the hull of the seed should be completely removed, and the shell of-the seed should be so scraped or scarified through the casing.

that its moisture-resisting character will be destroyed and the seed will be made to readily absorb moisture. Of course, this process of scari'lying or hulling may be carried out to any desired extent and according to the requirements for any particular seed treatment.

The rate at which the seeds will travel through the casing may be varied considerably by adjustments of the air valve or gate '31, Theseed will travel through the casing at the greatest velocity and within the shortest time when theiport 29 is closed, because. then all of the air drawn into the casing through {the opening 26 will be discharged with =the seeds through the spout 28, but 7 when the port 29'is opened, a part of the air willbe dischargedthrough said portand the rate of travel of the seed through 'the casing will be decreased and the time/0f the abrasive action on the seeds will be increased.

From the statements above made, it will be' un'derstood that I considerbroadly new anddesire to broadly claim a-huller or scariher comprising a casing lined with abrasive material and combined with :means for causing seeds'and the like to'take :up a whirling -motion within the casing and against the abrasive surface. 9

' What I claim is: a

-l. A huller or soarifier comprising a casing lined with an abrasive surface and-combined with a rotary fan in thecasing :for taking up seeds or the likeand throwin the samewith a whirling motion into the blast of air produced-by the fan andagainst said abrasivesurface.

2. A huller or scarifier comprising a casing'linedwithan abrasivesurface andcombined with a rotary "fan -in the casing for ta-kingup seeds or the like andfthrowing the same with a whirling motion into the blast of air produced by'the fan and against the abrasivesurface, said 'fanand "the blast of air produced thereby causing said seeds-and the like, during their whirling motion, :to take a spiral course through the casing.

3. A huller or scarifier comprising a casing lined with an-abrasive surface andprovided at one end with aninlet passageand at its other end with an outlet-passage, and

a gate-controlled auxiliary air discharge passage combined with a'rotary fanin the' casing for taking'up seeds or the like and 1 throwing thesame with a whirling motion into the blast of air produced by the fan and against the-abrasive surface, said fan and the blast of air produced thereby causing said seeds and the'like, during their whirling motion, to take a spiral course 4.1111 a huller or scarifier, a casingcomprising fixed headsv and a split casing clamped onto said'heads', an abrasive sheet lining said casing and theieby clamped abrasive sheet, the said heads having apagainst said heads, said casing at one end plied around the peripheries thereof pliable having an inlet passage and at its other packings against which said abrasive sheet end a discharge passage, and means work isdireetly clamped by said casing. 5 ing ithin said casing and arranged to cause In testimony whereof I afiix my signaseeds or the like to take up a whirling moture. T Y 1 tion Within said casing and against said 7 JOHN L. OWENS. 

